In his way he was no bad soldier, and in fact a better man than his rival the tyrant and oppressor, whom he had been urged by the superior part of his fellow-countrymen to supplant. Hence it was that before morning, and without interruption, he made the most of the rough but enthusiastic and willing materials to his hand, so that at last he could breathe more freely and accept the congratulations of his friends over the knowledge they shared that Villarayo would find when he came up that not only had he a formidable nut to crack, but the probability before him that the nutcrackers would give way first. All this was plain enough in the coming daylight, when the skipper and the two lads made their way ashore in one of the boats from the spot where the _Teal_ was moored, floating more lightly now, and almost as gracefully in the pearly grey light as the beautiful little waterfowl after which she was named. "Why, it looks almost like an anthill," said Fitz, as they approached the mouth of the pass, whose sides were dotted with men, most of whom were carrying rifles, while each displayed a formidable knife in his belt. "But there doesn't seem to be any sign of the enemy as yet." "No," said Poole; "but I say, father, do you think that they will be able to manage those guns?" "Yes," said the skipper gravely. "The men who had the gumption to plant them like that will be pretty sure to find out the way to use them with effect. Besides, they have had some experience, of course, with the old-fashioned pieces in the fort." "There go their colours up!" cried Fitz excitedly, as the national flag was run up to the head of the flagstaff that had been raised during the night. "I hope they'll win, Captain Reed, for the Don's been very plucky, and I suppose he is in the right." "If he hadn't been in the right I wouldn't have helped him as I have," said the skipper gruffly. "No," said Poole firmly, as if to endorse his father's words. "But don't you think, father, that if you brought all our chaps ashore to set these men by the guns at liberty and leave our lads to work them, they'd manage them much better--fire more regularly and twice as fast?" "Yes, that they would," cried Fitz excitedly. "There's hardly one of them who doesn't know his gun-drill." "How do you know that?" said the skipper grimly. "Oh, I asked them," replied the lad, flushing. "They all talk to me about their old life on board different Queen's ships. It was because I was a midshipman, I suppose. Why," he continued, growing more excited by what he saw, "our Chips--I mean, your Chips," he said, hastily correcting himself--"would make a splendid captain for one of the guns; Mr Butters another, of course; and the Camel, though he's cook now. Oh, I could man all those guns easily." "Like to do it, perhaps," said the skipper dryly, "and fancy that battery was the broadside of a ship?"